Archives for June 2017

Ok, so I wasn’t going to put this recipe up because I’m pretty sure I have two other pesto recipes on my blog BUT, I really do love this one the most I think. And so do my kids so if making a weekly batch of this green goodness assures me some solid vegetable eating around here, I’m all for it. I rarely measure my ingredients when I make pesto and quite honestly, it’s a hard thing to mess up – you throw some ingredients in a mini food processor (or blender) and give it a whir. Taste and adjust. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. You know I don’t do hard.

Walnut Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups loosely packed arugula

Handful of parsley leaves (stems ok)

1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup EVOO

Juice of 1 lemon

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Optional: 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. I leave this out entirely and no one seems to mind and as an inflammatory food, I’m happy to skip it.

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Mix well and season to taste. It might need more lemon, more salt…you be the judge and make it your own!

It’s no secret that I hold a special place in my heart for Trader Joe’s – it’s filled with unique one-of-a-kind finds, low prices, fabulous organic selections and amazing seasonal items…what’s NOT to love?! I will admit, though, it wasn’t always love at first sight. I distinctly remember living in New York City wondering what the hell all the chatter was about this place, this “Trader Joe’s”. What did IT have that every other store didn’t have? And why were the lines out the door?! On a scale of about 1-10 my patience level for standing in lines, especially at a grocery store, is about a 3 so I skipped on by happy to not have to step foot in that madhouse. Yep, Fresh Direct was ok by me and so was delivery – who cooks in New York, in their 20’s, with no kids?!

Then I moved to Connecticut. First of all, the very idea of being able to drive yourself to the grocery store is a thing of dreams. You mean I could get more than a bagful of stuff and not have to huff it 10 blocks home?! And as it turned out, there was a Trader Joe’s less than two miles from where I lived – my life has forever been changed. I pop in there several times a week for groceries and this list I am sharing is by no means all encompassing or completely “clean” in the way of food ingredients but these are some of the things my family keeps in rotation and that work for us. If I’m missing some items that YOU know and love, drop me a line! I’m always looking for fun new food finds! I split most of my shopping between TJ’s and Whole Foods so sometimes I just pick up what I need where I am for convenience sake but you can’t fail with any of these items!

Brace yourself…here we go!

* note: this list is in no particular order whatsoever and is more or less what I thought of on my walk through the store this AM!

Flowers – best prices, best variety, from succulents to bouquets to seasonal specialties